SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Building on its efforts to accelerate the world’s journey toward cyber resilience, Upfort – a cutting-edge cyber security and insurance platform – today announced its partnership with Parker, Smith & Feek and Washington Hospitality Association, Washington state’s leading hospitality trade group. Parker, Smith & Feek is the Washington Hospitality Association’s insurance partner, and will administer this cyber insurance and security risk management program through Upfort’s platform.
This partnership leverages Upfort’s dual cyber security and insurance offering and equips Washington Hospitality Association members with a holistic solution to proactively manage cyber risk – a growing concern that can disproportionately affect the hospitality industry. As cyber attacks proliferate, the hospitality industry at large can be especially vulnerable to cybercrime, given its seasonal workforce, high user turnover, and volume of data processing. In 2023 alone, nearly a third of hospitality organizations reported a cyber breach, which cost an average of $3.4 million.
“What Parker, Smith & Feek is delivering to Washington Hospitality Association reflects a seismic shift in the way large groups can manage cyber risk and fortify cyber security at scale – and we’re proud to serve as this program’s conduit,” said Josh Riley, co-founder and managing director at Upfort. “While conventional cyber risk solutions are impractical for most companies and tend to be purely reactive, Upfort’s platform empowers members to take a more preventative, top-to-bottom approach toward tackling cyber risk and forging resilience. As the only company with the ability to unify cyber security and insurance in one seamless experience, Upfort is uniquely positioned to expand cyber resilience for the hospitality industry.”
As part of this collaboration, Washington Hospitality Association members can now follow a simple online process to quickly and easily access training, phishing simulations, continuous monitoring, a browser firewall, advanced email defense, and instant quotes for affordable cyber insurance – without any IT experience required.
“Cyber risk has quickly emerged as one of the top concerns plaguing hospitality organizations of all sizes, and the Washington Hospitality Association prides itself on solving problems for its members – which is exactly why we’ve partnered with Upfort to strengthen our cyber resilience,” said Logan Dozier, senior manager of insurance services at Washington Hospitality Association.
Jim Chesemore, senior vice president at Parker, Smith & Feek added, “Our partnership with Upfort paves a path for the Washington Hospitality Association to shield its members from today’s most prevalent threats and reduce the risk of falling prey to ransomware or computer fraud, while educating our members on cyber risk and increasing long-term resilience.”
This program – spearheaded by Parker, Smith & Feek, powered by Upfort's platform, and backed by Arch, which Upfort announced it teamed up with in December – also includes three cyber insurance coverage options under the Washington Hospitality Association’s master program.
An industry leader in cyber risk mitigation, Upfort’s AI-powered prevention and intelligent automation is already revolutionizing cyber risk management. In a recent 18-month study of a leading cyber insurance program, policyholders that fully implemented Upfort Shield saw significantly fewer security breaches and claims, with the likelihood of filing a claim decreasing by 80%. To learn more about Upfort, visit upfort.com.
About Upfort
Upfort is a leading platform for cyber security and insurance that provides holistic protection from evolving cyber threats. Founded in 2017 to expand global access to cyber resilience, Upfort makes cyber risk easy to manage and simple to insure. Upfort delivers turnkey security proven to proactively mitigate risk and comprehensive cyber insurance from leading insurers. With proprietary data and intelligent automation, Upfort’s AI anticipates risk and streamlines mitigation for hassle-free underwriting. Insurers, brokers, and risk advisors partner with Upfort to offer clients resilience and peace of mind against cyber threats. In 2023, Upfort won the coveted Fortress Cybersecurity Award from Business Intelligence Group and was recognized as Top Infosec Innovator by Cyber Defense Magazine. To learn more about Upfort, visit upfort.com.
About Washington Hospitality Association
The Washington Hospitality Association is the state’s leading hospitality trade group, representing more than 6,000 members of the hotel, restaurant and hospitality industry. The Washington Restaurant Association (established 1929) and the Washington Lodging Association (established 1920) joined forces in 2016 to create the Washington Hospitality Association that supports and advocates for restaurateurs, hoteliers and related hospitality industry professionals in the state capitol and communities statewide.
